CULLMAN – Getting some cooperation from the weather allowed half the field of the 2016 Cullman High School Pre-State softball tournament to get a game in before a severe thunderstorm arrived late Friday afternoon.
Lightning was witnessed by umpires at Heritage Park around 5:15 p.m., sending four games off the field and into a safe location. Three games at the Field of Miracles were suspended around the same time.
Tournament host Cullman was down 4-3 to Helena with two outs when the Lady Bearcats got a single in the bottom of the fifth at the same time lightning came from the sky.
That game on Field 1, along with the Sumiton Christian-James Clemens game on Field 3, Hartselle-Shelby County on Field 4 and Sparkman-Decatur on Field 5, got off about the same time as a storm was approaching the area from Winston County.
The storm poured heavy rain onto the field by 5:55 p.m. with lightning and gusty winds. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for Cullman County at that time.
By 6:15 p.m., the rest of Friday's schedule had been postponed. All of the 4 p.m. games would count in the pool play portion of the tournament with Cullman losing to Helena 4-3.
Cullman held a 3-0 lead through the second when the Huskies tied the game in the top of the third. The go-ahead run came during the fourth with a one-out bases loaded walk by Cullman's Olivia Schwaiger, putting the visitors in front for the first time on the day.
The other games at Heritage for the 4 p.m. session that went final were Huntsville over Spain Park 9-2, Sumiton Christian shutting out James Clemens 5-0, Hartselle a 1-0 winner against Shelby County and Sparkman downing Decatur 7-1.
Scores of the Good Hope-Susan Moore game, West Morgan-Chelsea and J.B. Pennington-Priceville from the Field of Miracles were not reported to headquarters at Heritage Park when the storm arrived and games had to be called off in the evening hours.
Cullman coach Stephanie Conner reports the tournament will resume the pool play at 8 a.m. Saturday with the games that were to be played at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
That is weather-permitting, with a major percentage of rainfall expected for the area Saturday.
This is an annual event hosted by Cullman High, prior to the start of the softball post-season.
Area tournaments will be held next week with Cullman hosting the 6A, Area 15 tournament and Good Hope entertaining the 4A, Area 10 tournament.
Thirty-one teams signed up to play in this year's pre-state with seven teams currently rated in the Top 10, including Cullman who is No. 10 in the final 6A poll.
The matchup of Sumiton-James Clemens was the No. 1 team in 2A (Sumiton) battling the top ranked team from Class 7A.
